Medicine Buddha Triad
Ink and color on silk
Medicine Buddha Triad
KOREA; Joseon dynasty
Inscriptions on this painting state that it was commissioned in 1565 by Queen Munjeong in dedication to her son, King Myeongjong (reigned 1546–1567). A devout Buddhist, she was said to have commissioned 50 gold and 50 colored paintings of Sakyamuni Buddha, Maitreya Buddha, Medicine Buddha, and Amitabha Buddha. Only six of these paintings remain.
The painting is modeled after Goryeo dynasty (918–1392) depictions of the Amitabha Buddha Triad. Medicine Buddha sits in full lotus position on a lotus throne atop a platform. The left hand cradles a medicine bowl and the right hand forms a mudra. Suryaprabha and Candraprabha Bodhisattvas stand below the throne with their palms joined in reverence.
For more details, go to the Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Painting I-O, page 528.
Cite this article:
author = Hsingyun and Youheng and Youlu and Wilson, Graham and Manho and Mankuang and Huntington, Susan,
booktitle = {Encyclopedia of Buddhist Arts: Painting I-O},
pages = 528,
title = {{Medicine Buddha Triad}},
volume = 15,
year = {2016}}